The present invention relates to that field of art pertaining to chance-controlled games played on a game board with moveable game pieces.
There are a number of games at the current state of the art which allow a player or players to score points based upon the descent of a ball or balls through a hole or holes. For example, H. J. Robinson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,814,434) provides a board game apparatus in which balls falling through various holes are collected in separate channels for scoring. After the end of the game, in order to recover the balls or marbles, a player would have to turn the entire apparatus upside down in order to have the marbles return through some of the available holes. Not only is this a difficult task, but there is also a likelihood of losing marbles. Also, since the playing board is fully exposed, it is possible to lose marbles during the actual play of the game.
N. H. Sanger (U.S. Pat. No. 2,562,822) provides a chance controlled game apparatus in which the balls or marbles are similarly fully exposed, however, the balls are collected in a drawer. The marbles may be retrieved and replaced into an initiating position, however, there is still a chance of balls being misplaced.